Combined vehicle sales of Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp., South Korea’s leading automakers, in Europe fell 1.3 percent from a year ago in the first quarter, industry data showed Thursday.

According to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 278,432 units in Europe during the January-March period, down 1.3 percent from the same period last year.

ACEA data showed Hyundai Motor’s sales inched up 1.3 percent to 135,281 units, while that of Kia decreased 3.6 percent to 143,151 units.

The combined market share of Hyundai and Kia for the quarter in Europe stood at 8.2 percent, down 0.5 percentage point from last year.

For March alone, the combined sales of the companies dropped 5.6 percent on-year to 112,692 units. Sales of Hyundai dropped 5.2 percent to 53,357 units, and that of Kia shed 5.9 percent to 59,335 units.

Source: Yonhap News Agency